ˈregyələs noun
Etymology: Medieval Latin, metallic antimony, from Latin, petty king, from reg-, rex king + -ulus — more at royal
1. plural reguluses -ləsə̇z or regu·li -ˌlī
a. : the more or less impure button, globule, or mass of metal or metallic substance formed beneath the slag in smelting and reducing ores
regulus of antimony
b. : the material of such a mass : coarse metal : matte
2. plural reguluses or reguli
[Latin]
: a petty king : a ruler of little power or consequence
3.
a. plural reguluses or reguli
[Late Latin, from Latin]
: kinglet
b. capitalized
[New Latin, from Late Latin]
: a genus (the type of the family Regulidae) of passerine birds consisting of the kinglets
4. plural reguluses or reguli
[Late Latin, from Latin]
: a mythical Nubian snake believed to kill its victim by its hiss — compare basilisk , cockatrice